09 August, 2013

There was once a leopard in the
jungle; and a very nocturnal leopard he was too. He could hardly sleep at night
and, lying on a branch of his magnificent tree, he spent his time watching what
was happening in the forest at night. This is how he came to learn that there
was a thief in that forest. He would watch the thief go out every night with
empty hands and return loaded up with his stolen loot. Sometimes the thief had
nabbed the senior monkey’s bananas, other times he had filched the lion’s wig,
or pinched the zebra’s stripes. One night he even snuck home with the big
elephant’s false tusk, which the elephant had been secretly wearing for quite
some time.

However, as the leopard was a
very quiet sort of cat, who lived at the margin of everything, he didn’t want
to say anything to anyone. He didn’t see it as his business, and, if truth were
told, he rather enjoyed discovering these little secrets.

And so, thanks to the stealthy
thief, quite a stir was being created in the world of the animals: the elephant
felt ridiculous without his false tusk, and the zebra now looked like a white
donkey, not to mention the lion who, now as bald as a lioness had lost all
respect. Most of the other animals were in some similar position too. They were
furious, confused or ridiculous, but the leopard lay quietly in his tree, each
night enjoying the thief’s escapades.

However, one night the thief went
on vacation, and after having waited a long while for him to appear, the
leopard grew tired and decided to sleep for a while. When he woke up he found
himself in a place very different from his usual tree, he was floating on the
water of a small lake inside a cave, and around him he could see all those
objects which, night after night, he had seen being stolen… the thief had cut
down his tree and stolen his entire home along with the leopard himself! Well
this was the last straw, so the leopard, taking advantage of the thief not
being there, ran out and went straight to see the other animals to tell them
where the thief had hidden all their things...

They all praised the leopard for
having discovered the thief and his hideout, and allowing them to recover their
possessions. In the end, the animal who lost most from all this was the
leopard, who couldn’t replant his magnificent tree and had to make do with a
much inferior tree located in a very boring site... and he regretted having not
been concerned at the problems of the other animals, now seeing that in the
long run those very problems had become his own.

Moral:- Indifference to the problems of
others can allow those problems to grow until they end up being problems to
ourselves.

08 August, 2013

Once upon a time there was a
good, cheerful wizard who loved to use his magic to make everyone happy. He was
also quite an unusual wizard because he was allergic to a load of different
foods. He had to be very careful what he put in his mouth. He was always being
invited to parties, and he would always gladly accept, because he always had
new tricks and games to try out.

In the beginning, everyone was
considerate about his allergies, and they took special care to prepare food
that he would be able to eat safely. But as time went on, people tired of
having to prepare special foods for him. They began to forget his dietary requirements.
After having enjoyed his magic, people would leave him by himself, and the
parties became less enjoyable. Sometimes they didn't even bother to tell him
what was in the food, and, more than once, he ended up with a black tongue, a
red face, and a very itchy body.

Angry at such lack of
consideration, he waved his wand and cast a huffy spell that gave everyone a
special allergy. Some became allergic to birds or frogs, others to fruit or
meat, some to raindrops... And so, each person had to take special care from
then on. Whenever people met up to eat or have a party, they ended up having to
go to the doctor.

Ending parties in this way was
such a pain that, gradually, people began making an effort to learn what each
other’s allergies were. Now they would prepare everything carefully, so that
they could have a good time together without getting sick. Visits to the doctor
decreased, and in less than a year, life in town returned to normal, filled
with parties and celebrations, always attended by the wizard, who gave life and
joy to the occasion. Even better, now he could stay and enjoy the whole party.
No one would have suspected that, in that town, every single person was
strongly allergic to something.

Some time later, without anyone
knowing, the wizard waved his wand again and undid the spell. The people had
learned well how to be considerate towards others, and how they could enjoy
each others' company even better just by making a little effort to adapt to
each and every person.

Moral :- With very little effort,
and some tact, you can be considerate to, and include everyone.

Once upon a time, there was a king who ruled a prosperous
country. One day, he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country.

When he was back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very painful,
because it was the first time that he went for such a long trip, and the road
that he went through was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to
cover every road of the entire country with leather. Definitely, this would
need thousands of animals’ skin, and would cost a huge amount of money.

Then one of his wise servant dared himself to tell the king, “Why do you have
to spend that unnecessary amount of money ? Why don't you just cut a little
piece of leather to cover your feet?”

The king was surprised, but he later agreed to his suggestion, to make a “shoe”
for himself.

There is actually a valuable lesson of life in this story: “To make this world
a happy place to live, you better change yourself - your heart; and not the
world.”